Cited by 265Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsDementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Tau: Enabler of diverse brain disorders and target of rapidly evolving therapeutic strategies

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Chang, Che-Wei, Shao, Eric, Mucke, Lennart·2021·Science

Abstract

The many faces of tau: The protein tau is implicated in several brain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that it could be a target of therapeutics. However, because it is unclear how the pleiotropic roles of tau lead to neural pathology in different brain diseases, drug development remains challenging. Chang et al. review the possible mechanisms of tau in brain diseases and possible paths forward to improving research and drug development. Science , this issue p. eabb8255

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Crossref · 10.1126/science.abb8255

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  • Because tau is eliminated from all cell types in the global knockout, glial transcriptional remodeling may reflect both cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms whereby relief of neuronal stress reduces maladaptive signaling and enables glia to re-engage adaptive programs.

    “Because tau is eliminated from all cell types in the global knockout, glial transcriptional remodeling may reflect both cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms whereby relief of neuronal stress reduces maladaptive signaling and enables glia to re-engage adaptive programs [143].”

    From Tau Ablation Rewires Brain Cell Programs in Health and Restores Function in Disease (2026) · cites this paper as [143]

    Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Hyperphosphorylation of Tau is linked to synaptic dysfunctions and subsequent neurodegeneration in AD.

    “Hyperphosphorylation of Tau is linked to synaptic dysfunctions and subsequent neurodegeneration in AD [9].”

    From Elevated SGK1 increases Tau phosphorylation and microtubule instability in Alzheimer’s patient-derived cortical neurons (2026) · cites this paper as [9]

    The “Pathogenic mechanisms of abnormal tau” section (page not supplied) says acetylated, hyperphosphorylated FTLD-tau may contribute to neural dysfunction. It does not establish that tau hyperphosphorylation leads from synaptic dysfunction to neurodegeneration in AD; it also cautions that hyperphosphorylation can be pathogenic or protective depending on the sites involved. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Tau can regulate PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling, but under pathological stress such as in ASD or amyloid accumulation, it can promote network dysfunction.

    “Tau can regulate this pathway [56], but under pathological stress such as in conditions such as ASD or amyloid accumulation, it can promote network dysfunction [22, 143].”
  • α-Synuclein and tau are both intrinsically disordered proteins with distinct conformations that probably drive their respective pathologies and for which induced proteolytic degradation could be disease-modifying.

    “α-Synuclein and tau are both intrinsically disordered proteins with distinct conformations that probably drive their respective pathologies and for which induced proteolytic degradation could be disease-modifying184.”

    From PROTAC targeted protein degraders: the past is prologue (2022) · cites this paper as [184]

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Authors
Chang, C.-W., Shao, E., & Mucke, L.
Affiliations
Gladstone Institutes (US)
Corresponding author
Mucke, Lennart
Venue
Science
Published
2021-02-26
Volume
371
Issue
6532
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W3129727567
Cited by
263
References
152
Citations by year
2026: 42 · 2025: 53 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 47 · 2022: 57 · 2021: 22
FWCI
5.67
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (R01 MH115679, R56 AG060631, UH3 AG054304)
  • Alzheimer's Association
  • Tau Consortium
  • Cure Network Dolby Acceleration Partners
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Keywords
tau protein, tauopathy, Alzheimer's disease, neurodegenerative diseases, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, microtubule binding, neuronal dysfunction, disease models
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Brain Diseases, Humans, Microtubules, Neurons, tau Proteins, Tauopathies

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